Local and televised sports may have temporarily ceased but fear not. To help you with this dilemma, we’ve curated a list of 25 of the greatest sports movies ever, and where to find them. We’ve listed several options for watching these movies, but we don’t claim to have found all of them. In most cases, there are additional options for renting or buying them.
8 Seconds
A gripping story that takes place in the highest echelons of the uber-demanding sport of bull riding. The haunting tale of Lane Frost reminds all of the unforgiving side of a rodeo arena.
Where to watch: Vudu (free with ads)
A League of Their Own
Besides supplying its share of iconic moments, like Tom Hanks’ admonition of “there’s no crying in baseball,” this film has depth. Its memorable characters, plot elements, and historical context make one appreciate the opportunities women have in sport today.
Any Given Sunday
All the ways people have wondered about the dark side of pro football culture come together in this movie. Oliver Stone’s 1999 picture impacted the way many people thought about the game, and it also featured a cast chock full of name actors and former pro football players.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
Breaking Away
This coming-of-age movie addresses so many universal themes within a veneer of cycling. It won the 1979 Academy Award for "Best Original Screenplay".
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn star (and Lance Armstrong, who rode in Fort Worth last year, makes a cameo) in this tale of misfits made good through sport. You can witness its greatness in true form when you tune in to ESPN8 “The Ocho” for 24-hour footage of non-traditional sports. Heck, you can even learn to play them from the comfort of your own home.
Hoosiers
There’s human drama here realized through basketball and the biggest of underdog stories, all set against the big picture of how much a sport truly means to a community. Hoosiers earned two Academy Award nominations in 1986.
Jerry Maguire
This movie throws a spotlight on a vitally important part of the behind-the-scenes world of professional sports: agents. Tom Cruise made “show me the money” a memorable catchphrase. Cuba Gooding, Jr. won 1996’s "Best Supporting Actor Oscar" for his role as a football-playing client of the title character.
Million Dollar Baby
This movie brought women’s boxing to the forefront before it was cool, and did it with an emotional story that won Clint Eastwood the 2004 Oscars for "Best Director" and "Best Picture" (Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman also won that night for their performances).
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
Miracle
One can make a case that the USA Hockey team’s win at the 1980 Winter Olympics in the midst of the Cold War constitutes the best sports story ever, at least in the Western Hemisphere. Kurt Russell and company do a memorable of telling it.
Moneyball
Few movies (and, in this case, also the book on which it was based) actually change the way fans approach their sport. This film brought baseball’s advanced-statistics revolution into the mainstream.
North Dallas Forty
North Dallas Forty (based on former Dallas Cowboy Pete Gent’s novel of the same name) aired pro-football’s dirty laundry in 1979. It humanized the men who played and ran the game in a revealing, though not always flattering, way.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Vudu (rent or purchase)
The Pride of the Yankees
This 1942 film became the first iconic sports movie. Gary Cooper delivered an enduring portrayal of one of baseball’s most brilliant and tragic figures, Lou Gehrig. It took home an Academy Award for "Best Film Editing" among 11 nominations.
Where to watch: Amazon (rent or purchase)
Raging Bull
Martin Scorsese made what many consider his masterpiece about a boxing legend beset by all-too human challenges. The Academy named Robert De Niro its "Best Actor" of 1980 for his gritty portrayal of Jake LaMotta.
Rocky
We’re naming this whole franchise as one (because we’re writing the rules of the game here). Memorable characters have abounded throughout Sylvester Stallone’s multiple trips to the ring and the original won three Academy Awards, including "Best Picture," in 1976.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase the entire series, including Creed)
Rudy
Based on a true story, this football film has become the quintessential underdog story – the one to which all others are compared.
Seabiscuit
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, the flick quickly interested viewers with its cast of feisty characters, one of whom was the great racehorse Seabiscuit, who beat long odds in life to become winners.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
Slap Shot
Of all the films on this list, this one comes closest to being considered a cult classic. Besides being wickedly funny and starring Paul Newman, it's required to make the list because it's now an integral part of its sport. No hockey player ever – ever – turns down a chance to watch “Slap Shot” again. And, did you know the Hanson Brothers made an appearance at a Fort Worth Fire game in the 1990s?
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
It’s not just that the film is funny. It’s that the film's humor is rooted in deep and knowing satire of the culture of stock car racing. Will Farrell comes at us like a spider monkey throughout.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
The Blind Side
The storyline enmeshes football with topics of race relations and overcoming life’s challenges to deliver a compelling narrative. Sandra Bullock garnered the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
The Natural
The film combines brilliant and dramatic baseball scenes with the engrossing backstory of an all-too-human superstar. It earned four Oscar nominations in 1984, plus the Texas Rangers use music from its soundtrack whenever a player from the home team goes deep.
The Sandlot
The next baseball fan you meet who doesn’t like “The Sandlot” will be the first. It’s a great story about kids and the universal appeal of the national pastime.
Where to watch: Vudu (rent or purchase)
Other Films to Consider
- My All-American
This football film shot scenes at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in 2015.
- Necessary Roughness
This football movie filmed a scene at Billy Bob’s Texas in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. It starred Scott Bakula, Sinbad and Kathy Ireland.
- The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
The author and Ice Cube once bonded over this 1970s cult hoops classic that starred Julius Erving.
- The Greatest Game Ever Played
It was the last film ever directed by the late Bill Paxton. The late Fort Worth native also portrayed former Rangers pitching coach Tom House in “Million Dollar Arm.”
- The Mighty Ducks
Former Dallas Star Mike Modano had a cameo in this Disney hockey movie that eventually lent its name to an NHL team.
- The Replacements
The late Michael Taliferro, a Fort Worth-born pro football player, appeared in this football comedy.
- The Rookie
Part of this Dennis Quaid film (based on a true story) was shot at what is now known as Globe Life Park in Arlington.
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